China has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening unity and solidarity with African countries to drive shared modernization, as Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a group meeting with African envoys in Beijing on Monday, to jointly celebrate Africa Day.
Over 50 African ambassadors or charge d'affaires to China, along with the permanent representative of the African Union to China, attended the event.
China-Africa relations have entered their best period in history, Wang said, with China having upgraded its relationships with all African countries with which it has diplomatic ties to the level of strategic partnerships.
The overall relationship between the largest developing country and the continent with the largest number of developing countries has been elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
Looking ahead, Wang said China will continue to provide support on issues concerning core interests and major concerns, and will remain Africa's most sincere friend and most reliable partner.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, or FOCAC.
Highlighting the tremendous potential and broad prospects of China-African cooperation, Wang expressed China's readiness to take the upcoming coordinators' meeting on the implementation of the follow-up actions of the ninth ministerial conference of the FOCAC as an opportunity to accelerate common modernization.
"The more turbulent and intertwined the international situation becomes, the more China and Africa should strengthen solidarity and cooperation," Wang said.
He urged both sides to jointly oppose power politics, champion multilateralism, uphold the United Nations-centered international system, and promote liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment.
Wang also pledged that China will, as always, firmly support the just positions of African countries and their greater role on the international stage.
The African envoys emphasized that China's effective and practical cooperation with the continent has significantly contributed to improving African people's well-being and played a leading role in international cooperation with Africa, setting a model for international relations, especially since the establishment of the FOCAC.
African countries are inspired by China's major policies toward the continent, they said, adding that countries are confident in cooperation with the world's second-largest economy and stand ready to advance the building of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
The envoys also pledged firm adherence to the one-China principle and firm opposition to interference in China's internal affairs.
African countries are willing to work together with China to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter as well as defend the common interests of the Global South countries, they added.
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